Hello - I'm looking to buy a heating pad for my cat as we keep the house very cool in the winter to save on fuel. Does anyone have a good one?

I like this one because it only activates when the cat is on it and it doesn't get hot - so no potential for burns. But I'm worried if heating 10-12 degrees above room temp is warm enough? (Another pad said it went up to 102 - which seemed too hot - others just said vet. recommended temp...)

And it's $40 so I'm wondering if some in the $20 range are just as good

My cat has claws and is a kneader - so I'm also concerned he'll puncture the pad and get a shock...

Yeah, just set up places for them to sleep in warm areas/in front of the heating vents. Cats are much better at staying warm than us and they sleep most of the day anyway, so as long as they have a place to snuggle into in wherever it's warmest, they'll be fine. I got out a tiny step stool to put some stuff on a shelf that's right in front of a heating vent, and now I can't move it because one of my cats crawled under it and declared it her own personal cave.

_________________"The Tree is His Penis"

The tree is his penis // it's very exciting // when held up to his mouth // the lights are all lighting // his eyes start a-bulging // in unbridled glee // the tree is his penis // its beauty, effulgent -amandabear

He does have several kitty beds around the house. Lately I've been using a heating pad for a sore stomach muscle and he's been sleeping on it, on me - normally he never sleeps with me - he is not a snuggler! So I was thinking of getting him his own heating pad for when I'm not home.

Sometimes he will sit on the heating vents momentarily, but I don't think he likes being on the floor...

You heat it in the microwave, and it retains heat really well (especially wrapped in blankets). I bought one for my elderly rats, and haven't used it with my cats yet, but I've been thinking about heating it up for one of them everyday cause lately she's been really into laying next to the heating events.

Both my cats also like thermal pads. They're supposed to radiate their body heat back.

You heat it in the microwave, and it retains heat really well (especially wrapped in blankets). I bought one for my elderly rats, and haven't used it with my cats yet, but I've been thinking about heating it up for one of them everyday cause lately she's been really into laying next to the heating events.

Both my cats also like thermal pads. They're supposed to radiate their body heat back.

Oooooo, that's a good idea. You can actually put rice in a sock (double bag it for extra insulation) and microwave it and it'll do the same trick. We did that when we rescued a baby squirrel and had to drive it an hour to a rehabilitator.

_________________"The Tree is His Penis"

The tree is his penis // it's very exciting // when held up to his mouth // the lights are all lighting // his eyes start a-bulging // in unbridled glee // the tree is his penis // its beauty, effulgent -amandabear

Hopefully I'm not intruding too much - but I do have a heated bed for my little dog - it doesn't get super hot, but if you put your hand on it for a minute you can feel the warmth - so when she's just lying on it I know it's better than the couch or one of her other beds. When it gets really cold, I put a blanket over it so she has a cave and it gets pretty toasty. I leave it plugged in all the time now that it's getting colder and it seems just about as safe as anything else.

Thanks everyone for your input! I was looking at the microwave and self radiating options, so I'm glad to know they work. I have a rice one I made for myself - maybe I'll try that out first and see if he likes it.

Dave the Cat - that looks like a great resource - I took a quick peek but will check it out more after work.

no advice on the heating pad, but we put lots of blankets in boxes, close the boxes up, and cut a hole in the side of the boxes for the kittehs to go in and out of. our cats (for the most part) seem to enjoy them; we too keep our house pretty cool during the winter.

Our kitty loves to sit on my boyfriend's heating pad when he gets up and leaves it unattended for a minute, so we kind of wanted to give her her own but had the same concerns about her digging into it (she's a total digger). My boyfriend solved this by putting a heating pad under one of her beds. It's only on when we're in the room and only on a medium setting, and if she starts to get shifty, he turns it off. She definitely favors that cat bed in the winter.

_________________Ain't no guarantees in life, and nothing that comes out of my vagina can change that. - Erika Soyf*cker

When my cat was sick with end stage renal disease he was cold even with our heat .

Mar was really cold too in his last days with renal failure. Our vet was scared about using heat pads. However we did hot water bottles, we could not locate those old school rubber things so we used hot water boiled on the stove in plastic recycled drinking bottles. We wrapped them in fleece (it retains warm temps) and placed them in his bed with his tent (cardboard teepee) on top.

In the past we also used pet mats designed to retain body heat - he did not care for it as much because it had a crinkly sound...

You heat it in the microwave, and it retains heat really well (especially wrapped in blankets). I bought one for my elderly rats, and haven't used it with my cats yet, but I've been thinking about heating it up for one of them everyday cause lately she's been really into laying next to the heating events.

Both my cats also like thermal pads. They're supposed to radiate their body heat back.

Oooooo, that's a good idea. You can actually put rice in a sock (double bag it for extra insulation) and microwave it and it'll do the same trick. We did that when we rescued a baby squirrel and had to drive it an hour to a rehabilitator.

Oh yeah, that's actually why I bought one of these in the first place. I couldn't use a sock of rice with my rats cause the shiitake heads would eat it. A bunch of socks (or do some sewing and make a big mat you could put under a blanket) would be a cheap option.

I actually heated the Snuggle Safe up for my cat today and she hasn't moved from on top of it in the three hours since I gave it to her, so I think it's safe to say she likes it.

We use the snuggle safe ones at the shelter for sick or baby animals. They're pretty sturdy and usually last for a few years. They stay warm for a fairly long time, too. We always put the disc under a blanket, because they can be pretty hot when they first come out of the microwave. I've actually thought of getting one myself to put in the foot of my bed instead of a hot water bottle!